Pen and pencil retainer.



B. S. ALSOP.

PEN AND PENCIL RETAINER.

APPLHZATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1914.

Llflfiflfig'j, Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

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BERTHA S. ALSOP, OF'NEW YORK, N. Y.

PEN AND PENCIL RETAINER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTi-IA S. ALsor, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at New York. in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Pen and Pencil Retainers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple, inexpensive and practical means for retaining a pen or like article in place in the pocket of a garment and to accomplish this without resorting to the use of the unsightly and more or less clumsy projecting spring clips which heretofore have been the only means provided for this purpose.

Other objects are to provide a retainer which shall not protrude or project out of the pocket, which will permit of the pen lying concealed within the pocket and resting on the bottom of the pocket, which will effectually hold the pen against accidental displacement and yet permit of its being easily withdrawn when so desired, which will be unobtrusive in appearance and which will be non'interfering in respect to the proper handling of the pen or pencil.

These various objects I have attained by mounting holding spurs or points on the pen, or like article, which project out beyond the surface of the article so as to engage in the material forming the walls of the pocket. These projecting spurs preferably incline upwardly, i. 6., toward that end of the pen which is intended to be uppermost in the pocket, and so actually resist displacement the more firmly as greater displacing force is applied.

A special feature of my invention resides in the utilization of natural sharkskin for providing the necessary holding spurs. This skin is covered with innumerable small pointed barbs or spines which all incline in' the one direction, are of a permanent and relatively rigid character and which while so sharp as to hook into a fabric by the mere contact therewith, are nevertheless so minute as not to injure the fabric. This sharkskin retainer is usually applied in the form of a band substantially encircling the pen or pencil and disposed with the barbs thereof pointing upwardly so as by engagement in the material forming the walls of the pocket to positively hold the article fipecification of Letters Patent. Patgnted D 21, 1915 Application filed September 9, 191%.

Serial No. 880,832.

down in the pocket. In some cases a second strip having the barbs pointing downwardly may be employed so as to positively hold the pen or pencil against further downward movement.

The strip or strips of gripping material may be fastened directly to the pen orpencil or else to a holder'adapted for separate at tachment to the pen or pencil. In either event the strip is preferably seated in a grooveway and so that the holding spurs project beyond the plane of the surface of the article.

Various other features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The accompanying drawing illustrates several practical embodiments of my invention but it will be understood that the invention is capable of being embodied in other forms than those here shown for the purpose of illustration.

Figure l, is a view illustrating a pen equipped with the invention, in the position it occupies in the pocket of a garment. Fig. 2, is a detached View of the cap of the pen with the retainer applied thereto. Fig. 3, is a view illustrating an application of the invention to a pencil. Fig. 4, is a broken,

part-sectional view of an embodiment wherein oppositely projecting spurs hold the article against displacement either upwardly or downwardly. Fig. 5, is a perspective view of the invention embodied in a form suitable for ready attachment to any ordinary pen or pencil. Fig. 6, is a vertical sectional view of the same, showing details in construction. Fig. 7 illustrates a modification in the form of this detachable type of retainer.

In the embodiment shown in the first two views, a single strip of sharkskin is secured in the form of a band 11 encircling the cap 12 of a fountain pen 13. For the sake of illustration it has been necessary to show the spurs or barbs 14: of the sharkskin enlarged and somewhat exaggerated in form. The skin is arranged with these projecting spurs all inclining upwardly and'they therefore constitute a set of innumerable fine, sharp, upwardly inclined holding points projecting outwardly slightly beyond the plane of th( surface of the article. In use, the pen thur equipped is ordinarily simply dropped int; the pocket and allowed to find its own resting place. The holding spurs do not impede this downward or seating movement of the pen andthe pen will therefore usually slide down until it rests upon and is supported by the bottom of the pocket. This is the natural and preferred position because the Weight of the pen is borne by the body of the pen instead of by the cap (as is the case where clips are used) and there is therefore no tendency for the cap to become displaced and resting thus on the bottom, the pen will lie wholly concealed within an ordinary pocket. The moment any force is applied tending to displace the pen from its pocket, as for instance when the pocket is inverted by the wearer stooping over, the sharp pointed holding spurs immediately and automatically engage in the material forming the walls of the pocket and positively hold the pen in place. The pen is thus positively retained against accidental displacement. When desired however, it is easy topurposely remove the pen by simply spreading the pocket sufficiently to free it from engagement with the holding spurs. Merely gripping the pen between the thumb and fore-finger, as one would naturally do in removing it from the pocket, is ordinarily sufficient tospread the pocket enough to free the pen and permit its easy removal. The

holding spurs also have suflicient lateral gripping effect to resist sidewise movement of the pen in the pocket andthey therefore hold the pen in its proper upright position, as indicated.

The preferred method of applying the gripping material is to secure it direct to the pen or other article, so as to constitute a unitary part of the article. i In the forms illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 an annular groove- Way 15 is formed direct on the article and the gripping material is secured in this grooveway.

The grooveway illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 is of novel formation in that the edge portions are made relatively deep as indicated at 16 and the intermediate portion is crowned or bulged outwardly as indicated at 17. When therefore the sharkskin or gripping material is secured in the groove- Way, as by means of a suitable cement or other fastening medium, the edges of the strip of material lie in the deeper edge portions ofthe grooveway so as to be substantially flush with or below the surface of the article and the intermediate portion of the strip is bulged outwardly so as to cause the projecting spurs'to the more readily engage in the material of a pocket. By this construction the edges of the sharkskin are protected so as to prevent the skin being torn loose or wearing loose from the pen and the projecting spurs are made more effective.

Fig. 3 illustrates a pencil equipped with the invention, wherein the grooveway for the reception of the gripping material 20 is formed in the metal ferrule 21 with which pencils are usually provided.

In some cases it may be desirable to hold a pen or other article in a certain set position and to this end the invention contemplates the provision of a retainer which will hold the article against movement in a downwardly as well as in the upward direction. A retainer of this character is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein two bands of sharkskin are employed, the upper one 25 having the barbs thereof pointing upwardly and the lower one 26 having its barbs pointing downwardly. These barbs or strips are usually secured edge to edge as shown and it is evident that the strip with the downwardly pointing barbs will resist downward movement while the strip with the upwardly pointing barbs will resist upward movement. Vith this type of retainer the pocket is spread both in placing the article in and removing it from the pocket and the article remains in the position it has been set in the pocket, until removed therefrom.

In order that the invention may be applied to ordinary pens and pencils, be interchangeably engaged on different pens and pencils and be sold as an article of manufacture separate from the pen or pencil, I propose to embody the invention in the form of an attachment which can readily be applied or removed at will. Such an attachment is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein 30 indicates a strip of spring metal formed up into a split ring and having its edges bent up to form a grooveway for the reception of a strip 81 of sharkskin or gripping material and then bent over as at 32 to secure the sharkskin in such grooveway. The retaining material is thus carried by a holder in the form of a spring band which grips the article to which it is applied by reason of its resiliency.

Another form of detachable retainer is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein the spring holder 35 is of spiral formation with its ends overlapping. There is greater resiliency to a holder of this character, it can be more readily adjusted to fit different sized articles and the gripping material completely encircles the article.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent from the foregoing. The device is simple, practical and inexpensive and besides effectively holding the article it does not interfere in the slightest with the use of the pen or pencil and it does not in any way obtrude itself or mar the ornamental appearance of the article.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a pen or similar article, of means for retaining the same in the pocket of a garment comprising a thin strip of sharkskin gripping material carmeans? ried by and substantially encircling the pen and provided with numerous small sharp rigid spurs projecting slightly beyond the plane of the surface of the pen and permanently inclined upwardly toward the upper end of the pen to thereby automatically engage in the fabric of the pocket and resist accidental escape of the pen from the pocket.

2. The combination with a pen or pencil provided with an annular groove-way sub stantially encircling the same, said groove- Way being crowned in the central portion and recessed at the edges thereof, of an encircling band of sharkskin secured in said groove-way and provided with numerous small upwardly inclined rigid holding spurs, said sharkskin lying in the groove-way with the edges thereof received and protected in the recessed edge portions of the groove- Way and the intermediate portion thereof bulged outward by the crowned intermediate portion of the groove-way.

3. A pen or pencil'retainer comprising a ring adapted to be engaged over a pen or pencil, said ring having a groove-way therein, and a strip of sharkskin seated in said groove-Way provided with numerous small sharp pointed rigid upwardly inclined spurs, said ring having portions at the edges of the groove-way therein engaged over the edges of the sharkskin strip to thereby secure said strip within the groove way.

BERTHA S. ALSOP.

Witnesses:

J. GILMAN, PHILIP S. MCLEAN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

